SK c08s02
Text Luna and Scrivener Blooms ensured everyone was alright, talked a little with Rarity and Pinkie Pie when they showed up… but then made their way quietly back to the Everfree Forest, walking in silence down the path, yet speaking with their bodies, with their minds. They had promised to help explain everything, to go over all the details they needed to… but first, they needed to rest. They needed to recover, before they discussed what had happened and what to do… and so did everyone else, from battered, almost-broken Fluttershy to still-shellshocked Twilight Sparkle. They reached the cottage, pushing inside, striding quietly down to the den… and then Luna flicked her horn towards the fireplace, blue flames bursting into being before she looked at Scrivener Blooms, and he gazed silently back, their eyes locking before they stepped towards each other and kissed firmly for a moment, then tightly embraced, pushing their bodies together as Luna's mane sizzled and she clung to him, tears leaking down her cheeks as she whispered: "Horses of Heaven damn you, Scrivener Blooms…" "And damn you to Helheim too, Luna, because you shouldn't've done that… I screwed up, not you." Scrivy muttered, and then he winced when Luna pummeled savagely on his back with her hooves, making him flinch even as she felt the same pain radiate through her own body. "Luna…" "Nay, nay, enough!" Luna muttered, and she shoved her face against the side of his neck, trembling a bit as they continued to cling tightly together, and then she let out a long, shuddering sigh as she murmured tiredly: "I would be angrier with thee, and angrier yet with myself, if I was not so exhausted. And did not crave thy comfort so direly after such an awful day." "Made all the worse because of what happened with poor Fluttershy…" Scrivener Blooms shook his head slowly, pressing back against her and silently playing his hooves through the female's mane, feeling it sizzling quietly against him as it curled silently towards him, tickling against his body. "And… was it just me or…" "Yes, Scrivener Blooms. The Pale was there… doubtlessly, Fluttershy's father." Luna stopped, then she laughed a little, shaking her head slowly and murmuring: "I think… Fluttershy knew he was there. Recognized his presence, perhaps… and that it guided her in what to do. Yet all the same, I believe what I told Fluttershy, too… 'twas not hatred. 'Twas mercy that guided her… that guided them both, and did not just destroy the creature… but saved us all." She stopped, then silently pushed Scrivener down onto his back before curling herself down overtop him, closing her eyes as she kissed his throat and laid her body over his… and he quietly laced his hooves behind the back of her neck, their eyes locking, seeing his own tumultuous emotions reflected in her cyan irises as she murmured: "Daydreamer… never let me become a monster like that creature was. Not even Nightmare Moon at her worst was like that… that creature… there is nothing that can describe her. She was… vile." Luna fell silently, resting down against him and shaking her head with a slow sigh, and Scrivy nodded slowly before he gazed up at her, asking quietly: "And Scarlet Sage… you called her a Blood Seer?" "Aye, I recognized her emblem immediately. 'Tis a very rare gift, treasured and kept secret, and sad as it makes me, we shall have to bring her to Celestia so she may determine the foal's future." Luna shook her head slowly, murmuring: "For now, her talents… I doubt are great. She can likely prophesize the likely course of a pony's future from contact with their blood… but as she grows older and stronger, as she develops this terrible gift… she will become a prophetess and powerful sorceress, capable of many different feats, both great and terrible. Either she is blessed by the Aesir or cursed by the forces of Helheim… only time will tell." She stopped for a moment, then murmured: "And to think… that Ekleíp are involved, the cult of Nightmare Moon… the fools who live in the broken-open Black Baroque." She grimaced a little, shaking her head slowly. "I fear Ignominious may have once more escaped from Helheim to work with these foolish cultists, who likely fail to understand what they are trying to bring about, seeking only power." Scrivener Blooms nodded slowly, leaning up and pressing their foreheads together as he said quietly: "The Black Baroque, the fortress that stands as a gateway between this world… and the dark levels beneath it. The tunnels that stretch all the way down to Hell… the cult that believes Nightmare Moon's return, the great eclipse and Celestia's defeat… it all signals the descent to Ragnarok, when the Black Wolves will purge the world in darkness and flame, guided by Nightmare Moon." "Aye, but is rotten lies. Nightmare Moon was guided by jealousy… not by lust for destruction." All the same, however, Luna grimaced and pressed closer, and the two gazed into one-another's eyes as she murmured softly: "Besides. I have thee now, do I not? We are like one being… and thou art what completes me. Thou art what settles Nightmare Moon into calm… and even now, for all her earlier desires of vengeance, she instead feels… relief. 'Tis strange to say…" Luna smiled a little. "Darkness, relieved to have its little foal Scrivener Blooms back in its safe embrace." "Oh, shush." Scrivy laughed a little all the same, however, and then Luna curled herself down against him, horn brushing silently beneath his jaw as she rested her head on his neck, the two hugging one another tightly, impulsively. "I… I am glad you both are there to watch out for me though, Luna. I wasn't exactly any match for Sol Seraph, after all." "And even I fled from that beast. I commend thee for trying thy best to fight the monster off… 'twas noble, brave, and utterly stupid. The three reasons why I care so deeply for thee." Luna smiled a little, straightening over him and gazing down at him thoughtfully for a few moments, and then she said quietly: "I have a gift for thee." With that, she pushed herself off him, heading down the hall towards their bedroom, and the male sat up slightly and looked curiously after her before he glanced to the side as Sammy chirped at him apprehensively, the small, skeletal dragon running forwards and inspecting him… then nipping quietly at his face, making the pony wince back a bit before he reached out and petted him softly. "I know, old friend, I know. The world doesn't always revolve around you, though, and… well, Luna and I just had a hell of a day. Don't worry, we'll never forget about our little replacement foal-dragon, though." Sammy huffed a bit at this, but then pushed his skull firmer up against Scrivener's hoof as the earth pony smiled a little at their pet… before he glanced up curiously as Luna returned with a warm smile on her face, saying quietly: "I was saving these for a surprise, Scrivener Blooms… but 'tis difficult to keep even so small a thing hidden from thee, and moreover… thou deserves a small, albeit strange reward." Scrivy tilted his head at this before his eyes roved to the small, neatly-tied gift box floating beside Luna's head, and then it hovered towards him as he smiled slightly, sitting up and reaching out to take it. He undid the bow, not rushing even as Luna looked at him impatiently… and then he winced when she tore it out of his hooves as he tried to wiggle the box slowly out of the wrapping paper, saying grouchily: "Oh, here!" The wrapping paper all but disintegrated as Luna shredded it violently with a flick of her horn, then she thrusted the box back towards him and the male cleared his throat, taking it awkwardly and looking at her pointedly. Luna only looked challengingly back, however, and then the male snorted in amusement and rolled his eyes before he flicked the box open… and blinked before laughing in surprise as he picked out a small pair of black glasses with rectangular, narrow frames. "Hey, they look just like my old pair!" "They are, as a matter of fact, only a little enlarged for thy fatter head and with the lenses replaced with simple glass." The winged unicorn smiled slightly after a moment, bowing her head towards him as Scrivy slipped them onto his muzzle with a smile, almost crossing his eyes to peer at instead of through the glasses, and Luna laughed a little before she stepped forwards and kissed his forehead firmly, saying quietly: "Forget not why I love thee, Scrivener Blooms. Forget not why I married thee. 'Twas not because thou were a warrior… it was because of thy insufferable, stubborn, painful personality and thy ridiculous habit of following me through the worst of dangers, all whilst complaining loudly that thou art nothing more than a writer… when to me, thou art… truly a hero." She blushed a little, shuffling her hoof against the ground, and then she cleared her throat and turned quickly, almost knocking Scrivener over as she half-skipped towards the kitchen with a cheerful: "I shall put on coffee, Scrivener Blooms!" Scrivy couldn't help but laugh a little at her behavior, then he smiled as he climbed to his hooves and strode silently into the kitchen, walking up behind her as she sat humming in front of the coffeemaker before he hugged her firmly from behind, and she smiled softly, bowing her head forwards as her horn glowed, the scoop, can of coffee, and carafe floating silently around their heads as he kissed her cheek and said softly into her ear: "Thank you, Luna. I won't forget. I promise." The night passed in peace, and much-needed comfort: Scrivener smiled, adjusting his glasses every so often, reflecting on when he'd stopped wearing them and looking almost bashful when Luna remarked how handsome he was in them. They had been together, giving to one another what they both needed, tending to each other in romance and love and affection and eventually, lust… until finally, come morning, Luna arose with renewed resolve, nodding firmly as she reached up and silently touched the black pearl hanging around her neck… before she smiled slightly at the male and said quietly: "Come Scrivener Blooms. To lower the moon… to watch the sun rise. To share a story." Scrivy smiled a little at this, knowing what was on her mind with only a glance at her soft irises… and quietly, they made their way outside, then around the familiar path to the top of the cliff. They sat for a moment, lingering as they gazed at the morning sky, so dark, the moon resting near the horizon amidst a veil of dark clouds that seemed almost to cradle it and clutch it, as if trying to keep the great ivory sphere in the sky. Luna bowed her head forwards, and Scrivener automatically mimicked the motion, both of them breathing slowly as the glow around Luna's horn built higher, higher… and in the distance, the moon trembled, then slowly sank down, the clouds dissolving slowly around it and fading quickly from sight. For a few moments, there was darkness, only the stars of the night sky lighting the shadows… and then slowly, the sun began to rise to their backs, the sky gradually brightening like a great multicolored veil being drawn back bit-by-bit, and Luna smiled softly as she and Scrivener closed their eyes, enjoying the warmth of the radiant light spilling over their forms, making Luna's starry mane twinkle all the brighter for a few moments before she murmured quietly: "To this day I remain amazed at what thou did, Scrivener Blooms, and if anything speaks worlds of thy character, 'twas that silly, silly thing thou did… after we decided to be married, and thou wished to give me a proper… what was thy term for it?" "Hell if I know, I remember making some fancy term up so you wouldn't beat the horseapples out of me. Not that it worked, but you treasured that thing ever since…" Scrivener smiled slightly and nudged her gently with his shoulder, and she laughed quietly and nodded, gazing affectionately down at the carved black pearl. "And as it is, I've never been so glad I did such a stupid thing in my entire life as getting you that out of the Dark Barrens." "Yes, thou silly, silly creature." She nudged him firmly back, shaking her head with a warm look towards him. "Amazing how thou can't remember ninety percent of what I tell thee… and yet I mention once, and only in passing at that, that the seahorse drakes that live in the swampy depths of the Everfree Forest's grottos make their caverns around the Barrens… and too late I realize thou hast gone off on adventure! And worse, adventure without me!" "Would have killed the surprise, though, if I had you come along for it." Scrivener pointed out, and Luna laughed and nodded, gazing at him affectionately as he reached up and automatically adjusted his glasses with a slight smile. "All things considered, though, it's a good thing you found me when you did… I mean, okay. Maybe I got a little overconfident at the end… but I'd snuck into their caverns, looted a bag of black pearls for a necklace from their treasure stash, and had just about reached the entrance before they caught me." "Aye, and 'twas a very amusing sight for me, perched up upon the cliffs, watching with a fool's gape as thou scrambled ahead of the half-fish, half-serpents, flinging pearls and rocks at them and yelling like an idiot all the while until thou were down to thy last pearl… and thou tripped, as I remember…" She grinned and leaned forwards, their noses touching as Scrivener rolled his eyes before she looked at him insistently. "And I fell, yes. Worse, the damn black pearl was still in my hoof and I smashed it into a rock on the way down, fracturing the whole front of it… but then who should drop in but my savior, the mighty hero Luna Lightblade, protector of idiot poets everywhere!" Scrivener made a grand sweeping gesture, smiling amusedly at her, and Luna threw her head back and laughed. "As I recall, there was lightning shooting everywhere and you sent them fleeing back to their cavern, all while yelling at me for being an idiot." She nodded firmly a few times, then picked up the story with a wink to him, saying softly: "But when I turned around to perhaps finally crack open thy stupid skull to see if a brain exists inside, I see thee holding up that damnable black pearl to me, and when I gaze down upon it, I see the fractures are shaped almost just like the petals of the black rose that adorns thy flank. It looks perfectly engraved, as if the gods themselves willed this… and when I looked at that stupid, stupid grin upon thy face as thou gazes up at me… 'twas when I knew that no matter what, we were meant to be together. That we… were soulmates." Luna looked at him tenderly, and Scrivener gazed back before they quietly kissed for a moment… and then she smiled a little, looking down at the pearl and murmuring: "And yet thou was unsatisfied all the same. Thou took it, refined it, worked tirelessly until thou had finally woven this band of ivy thyself, and engraved the perfect image more luck than anything else, as we both know… and that was thy wedding gift to me." "And yours was to share your vitality, your life essence with me… linking us eternally." Scrivener said softly, and Luna nodded, meeting his eyes as they studied each other tenderly. "And later… you mixed our very souls. Gave me your soul… took mine for yourself." "Merging the intangible… all very simple, truly." Luna said imperiously, looking up towards the blue sky with a smile… and Scrivener laughed before she shoved him lightly, making him scramble a little at the edge of the cliff with a wince. "Of course, it's all gone and done nothing about thy sordid fear of heights. As if such a fall would kill thee now!" "I really don't want to test that theory, Luna. Not because I'm scared of dying, but because I'm scared of surviving and ending up with my everything broken." Scrivener replied delicately, and Luna simply laughed again before she softened when he looked at her and asked quietly: "So should we head to Ponyville?" Luna hesitated, then nodded slowly, saying quietly: "Yes, we had best. I am surprised, to be honest, we received no word from Celestia last night… but perhaps instead she was offering counsel to Twilight Sparkle. In any event, they will wish to hear our stories… will thou be prepared to discuss what happened?" "Well, by now, I'm used to telling stories of females beating me up." Scrivener said blandly, then he started down the path as Luna rolled her eyes, before she smiled a little as the male added quietly: "No, it's not that. The only things that bother me about Sol Seraph's death is that she died before we could figure out everything she knew… and that poor Fluttershy was the one who killed her. Even if it was… fitting, in a sense… I can't imagine it's something that Fluttershy will get over very quickly." Luna nodded, following behind him and saying softly: "Perhaps, though, she will at least be able to find comfort in the fact that 'twas her hoof that freed the minotaurs… and aided her father's own spirit to find peace, whatever the Pale did to assist Fluttershy… whether it was guiding her hoof or only helping her stand." Scrivener nodded musingly in return, and Luna fell into step beside him curiously… before she smiled and leaned forwards, inviting quietly: "Go ahead." The male smiled awkwardly at her, hesitating all the same… and then he looked ahead as they rounded the path and began to stride through the yard, saying softly: "'Twas mercy that slew the predator, as beauty maims the savage beast… 'twas kindness that smote it to the soul, that brought the hunter down unto its knees." Luna smiled wider, and Scrivener grumbled a bit under his breath, looking embarrassedly away before he winced when she nudged him playfully. "Thou should write more poetry, my beloved scribe. 'Tis thy special gift… and more importantly it is what makes thee happy, and boosts thy confidence almost as much as my kisses." "Lame poetry books can wait, I've still got like. Fifty or so pages to update and transcribe for your latest Sleipnir story first." Scrivener said mildly, and then he winced when Luna headbutted him firmly even as they strode over the bridge together, grumbling as they started down the forest path. "Oh stop it. You know I enjoy writing those out, too… it's just… harder. Because I have to make sure I do your brother justice, I have to actually try… with my poetry, no one but you reads it anyway, so who cares?" "Oh, silence, Scrivener Blooms, thou great insufferable twit. Only I read it because thou refuses to have any of it published, and 'tis well-worthy of that!" Luna argued, and Scrivy huffed at her, the two continuing to bicker on and off through the forest… and yet at the same time, it was lighthearted, strangely-supportive, romantic in an eccentric way that kept them from plunging into darker thoughts until they emerged onto the dirt road leading into Ponyville. They both looked up at the open gates, guarded by two minotaurs and a volunteer soldier who waved at them excitedly, and Luna and Scrivy both nodded with smiles to the guards, the minotaurs looking much more amiable now even as they saluted sharply. To the surprise of both, they found Fluttershy in the square in front of the library, smiling faintly to herself and with her wings carefully bandaged. She stood and quietly watched as Scarlet Sage ran around with several other young foals. She glanced up as they approached, then nodded slowly to them as Luna and Scrivener sat beside her, watching as the Pegasus filly danced out of range of a young unicorn that tripped over its own hooves trying to catch her. "Kids are strong." Fluttershy said softly, and she smiled a little, glancing quietly towards Luna and Scrivener Blooms as they gazed back at her softly. "I understand that now, more than ever… but that's no reason we shouldn't take care of them. Just like I understand, more than ever… why I feel so compelled to take care of children, not just animals. Why… despite everything that happened… I think I'm okay." She stopped for a moment, then gazed towards Scarlet Sage as she finally fell over, exhausted and yet laughing as another foal pounced on her, and then another added to the pile, all smiling brightly, one young earth pony – a filly with a red mane and gorgeous warm eyes, her sun-yellow coat bright over her body – glancing up as bright pink bow bounced on her head, and she waved excitedly at the two… and Luna smiled warmly as Scrivener rose a hoof to Apple Bloom, Applejack's younger sister. Fluttershy smiled at this, then she continued quietly, her sea-green eyes roving hesitantly to gaze over Luna's features. "My mother… never loved me. She just wanted… impossible things out of me. She just wanted to make me into something like her… something in the image of the family that had bred her. But… my father loved me. And I'm just like him… and now I think I know who tucked me in the nights when I felt so alone, and who gave me Mr. Bearingtons, and why no matter how bad things got… I knew things would be okay. I think he was watching out for me… and trying to watch out for Mother, too. Trying to show her the error of her ways, until… until the very end. But she just wouldn't see… but I saw him. And I think you did too, didn't you?" "Aye, Fluttershy. I did. I saw the Pale… the ghost." Luna said softly, Scrivener nodding quietly as well… and then she smiled a little before reaching a hoof up and stroking back the Pegasus's mane, saying quietly: "And thou has others who will care for thee, and take care of thee, friends and family both. Will thou come in with us, to discuss yesterday's events? And Scarlet Sage too… we shall need to speak to her as well." Fluttershy paused, looking down silently for a moment… and then she gazed up at the filly, and she smiled a little as she and Apple Bloom hopped side by side together, joined by the other foals, laughing, their cutie marks almost glowing: scarlet mirror edged in black, bright white apple blossoms. "Can we give them… and me… just a few more minutes, Luna? I like… I like this." She stopped, then laughed quietly, looking over the foals affectionately. "They… watching them like this, it washes away… all the pain and heartache." "I know what thou means… yes, this… this is good." Luna murmured softly, nodding after a moment as she rested quietly back, watching the young filly tenderly as she leaned against Scrivener Blooms, and the male smiled a little at her as her eyes roved towards him. "Daydreamer… one day, we shall have a foal, I swear by means fair or foul… and I swear, too, that I shall take greater care of it than I do even of thee, my beloved." Scrivy laughed quietly at this, beginning to open his mouth with a warm retort, and then Fluttershy smiled softly across at them, saying gently: "You two are already fine parents to Scarlet Sage, Luna… as much as I treat her like my daughter, even though she spends most of her time with me… I'm still more of her aunt. But to her… you've always been like mother and father. You love her like she's your own foal… you treat her wonderfully." Fluttershy stopped, then looked ahead, and Luna gazed over at her, swallowing and lost for words… and then the Pegasus simply smiled softly before she called quietly: "Scarlet Sage! Come now, we need to head inside." The filly looked up even as the others foals whined, but then she nodded and smiled to her friends before heading quietly towards them, becoming more serious as she gazed up at them quietly, and the three looked back down… and then Luna leaned forwards and hugged her firmly, leaning down and kissing her forehead softly, and there was no need for words as they looked at one another for a few moments before Fluttershy pushed open the door to the library, and they headed quietly inside, together. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story